Mac: Selecting a large block of text with a Macbook's trackpad is kind of a pain and doesn't always work that well. SlideMode is a simple little app that adds a keyboard shortcut to make selecting large blocks of text as easy as a swipe.

SlideMode actually offers three features: Slide, which lets you swap between desktops on a mouse, DockShow for quickly hiding the Dock, and SlideSelection for selecting text with a trackpad. All the features are handy, but SlideSelection is most useful. With the feature enabled, hold Shift+Control and then gesture up or down to quickly select a block of text vertically. You can also gesture right and left to select smaller blocks. It's a subtle tweak but it makes one of the common annoyances on a Macbook significantly easier. SlideMode is a free download from the developer's site.